Protocol is Overrated
by Songbird's Spirit
Summary: A new code is being implemented at NEST after a fatal incident. Relationships between humans and Autobots are now strictly prohibited. But what does that mean for the few other pre-existing interspecies couples?
1. Chapter 1

_Journal entry 27_

 _Well, today has been a shitstorm...actually, so has the past week since the whole event between Wheeljack, Perceptor, and the hoebag, Anne. Let's see if I can make sense of this dramatic reject of a hallmark movie love triangle._

 _Essentially, Wheeljack and Anne became a couple. The two were "in love" so to speak. And low and behold, Anne turned out to be a dirty cheating whore. She managed to keep this secret by exploiting her access to Wheeljack and Perceptors labs, using her own chemical knowledge, and creating a sort of body wash to eliminate her one-night-lover's pheromones._

 _To absolutely no-one's surprise,_ _Perceptor is in love with Wheeljack, and when he walked in on her stealing his chemicals, with the sexual hormones of another man clinging to her, he flipped off his aft plates._

 _As a result, Cybertronians as a whole are rapidly losing faith in humans in romance now as well. More specifically, our ability to be faithful. For them, love is a serious thing. Not surprising, seeing as they literally bind their souls for all eternity. To us the concept of divorce is common. To them, it's like blasphemy. Besides, apparently they have intendeds. So they actually know right out if whoever they're with is someone they want to give their everything to._

 _But, long story short, again…Percy flipped his slag, actually_ _ **killed**_ _Anne in his blind rage, spouting things about her betraying the mech he pined for while he stood out of the way in hopes of seeing his friend happy_ _seriously Hallmark sounding_ _. Thing is, Wheeljack didn't know why Percy was so upset when he got there, and when Jacky saw Anne dead on the floor, Jacky attacked Percy! Perceptor just barely managed to explain himself. Any longer and he'd be in a permanent state of disrepair. Both mechs are sitting in the brig facing heavy charges. Perceptor moreso for charges of homicide._

 _All in all...things have been pretty intense around here as of late. There are rumors of a new code in development in response to this whole event. If so, I'll hear about it at the meeting tomorrow. God only knows why they think it's a good idea for me to a representative for those damn things is anyone's guess._

 _Nothing's ever normal around here, huh?_

 _With love,_

 _Bethany_

* * *

"...you're fucking with me, right? Whose terrible idea was this?" the blonde woman snarled, folding her arms as she silently dared anyone to answer.

Optimus stood up a little straighter, his armor flaring ever so slightly. "It was my idea."

"It's a shit idea." Bethany snapped, "I get the idea behind it. But this isn't how you handle these kinds of situations!"

"And what would you know?" Mearing cut in, "One of our soldiers is dead because she got a little curious about bi-racial relationships."

"Oh please, like everyone in the room didn't secretly have an idea that the bitch got around?" Bethany scoffed, "I'm not saying she deserved it, but she should have had an idea that this would have happened given how Cybertronian culture works. She wasn't an idiot, just a slut."

"Would it kill you to mind your language during the board meeting?" Ultra Magnus narrowed his optics at the outspoken blonde. "It's unprofessional."

Bethany sneered, "Buddy... _I'm unprofessional_. I don't know why I'm here to begin with." she sat down heavily in her chair, "Besides, I'm pretty sure keeping the cold, hard, truth to myself is detrimental to my personal health...and possibly everyone else."

Mearing was seething now. "Frankly, I agree with Optimus. Banning all forms of romantic involvement between humans and Cybertronians was something I assumed was already an unspoken law amongst the people of NEST."

"Clearly it wasn't." Bethany muttered, "And so what if you ban romance. It's still going to happen!"

Optimus gave Bethany a look. The mech was beginning to lose his patience. "You think my mechs would violate this rule? Even after a human soldier was murdered as a result of one?" he almost growled.

Bethany was unimpressed. "Damn right I do. Maybe you don't see it. Perhaps none of you here do. But I know, first and second hand, how _stupid_ people can be when they're in a relationship or just downright under the influence of a passing infatuation." the blonde glared at Mearing, "And _you_ can't say I don't have a point there. Sure, this rule is strict and may cause some second thoughts given the source of its creation, but fuck me running if you think another fucking code is going to do jack shit about preventing further interspecies anything."

"She's not even trying to-."

"Enough Magnus, she's unlikely to." Optimus sighed.

Bethany rolled her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Look. I'm sure on paper it's a great idea. But realistically applied, I just don't see it working."

"Whether you can see it or not doesn't matter." One of the other board members scowled, "As you said, you're not sure why you're in this meeting in the first place. I doubt you would know much of protocol anyway." he scowled coldly.

"My seven years of loyalty to this branch of military would like to kindly request that you fuck off." Bethany scowled, "I'm a soldier. I know how it feels to be directly under every new protocol you lot have previously come up with."

"Regardless," the lady to her left snapped, "This is happening. So stop complaining."

Bethany was damn near snarling now. She whirled on Optimus and his Xenophobic Elite Guardsman. "And what the fuck do you propose NEST does with all the people currently in an interspecies relationship?!"

Optimus shuttered his optic in surprise while Magnus' seemed to grow wider. None of the other humans were saying a word either. Even Mearing was giving her a wide eyed look of shock. Bethany -on the other hand- was just bewildered.

"What's wrong with you lot? Did you not think about that, or-?"

"Ms. Grey…" Optimus cut in slowly, "Who else is currently in a relationship?"

Bethany stared at the others in the room. "Holy shit...don't tell me everyone else doesn't know…?"

Silence answered her, and the breakout of frantic whispers and outraged confirmed it. Bethany dropped her head and shook it slowly. "Aye-ye-ye…" she groaned, "Well, isn't this just a lovely day to get mindfucked by collective stupidity?"


	2. Chapter 2

_Christ, this new rule scares me. What m' I supposed to do? What're we gonna do? I don't want to be away from ole' Hound. Maybe there's a loophole in the system? Fuck, I'm too nervous to keep a journal. Why does Hound keep telling me to anyway?_

Arthur looked up from the thick leather journal Hound had gotten him for his last birthday and peered owlishly at the mech as he studied the multiple deer undoubtedly lurking nearby. In the nearby pen, a few sheep were roaming around doing what sheep normally did. Surprisingly, they had a similar species on Cybertron by the name of -get this- Fluffsheep.

Arthur felt that he probably shouldn't be surprised when they also had animals on Cybertron called Turbofox, or the particularly punny, Alloygator.

"Hound!" Arthur shouted, cringing when the mech's plating snapped inward. He had startled the peaceful mech.

He offered an apologetic smile as the mech lumbered closer with a soft smile. "Sorry, Arty. There were moose out there. Gotta bit distracted."

"S'okay, big mech. T'was my bad for startling you anyway." Arthur sighed, fighting off a smile as Hound caught sight of the journal. "What?"

"M' glad to see you usin' that." Hound murmured, and picked the man up as he was wont to do these days. "Makes this old mech happy."

"Ye' ain't that old Hound." Arthur snorted, "You're as sprightly as any other fat ballerina out there." he jested.

Hound chuckled, "Watch the use of the f-word. Most humans don' like it bein' used so lightly." the mech chided gently.

"Right, right. So why'd you get this for me anyway?" Arthur asked, "I get that people like writing things down but I always forget to and it doesn't help when I'm nervous."

"Jus' means you're gonna log the important stuff for me to read later." Hound winked as Arthur's face flamed red.

"I, uh, may be taking...um…"

Hound raised an optic ridge and laid back, setting Arthur atop the dip in his armor that covered his spark chamber. "Spit it out...what? Didja write down something naughty?" Hound teased, grinning as Arthur flushed even more. "Ye' did, didn't cha?"

"I...wanted to remember all those sensitive spots you told me about. I wanted to have them down somewhere, in case I forgot one." He muttered, too embarrassed to meet the mech's gaze.

Hound merely chuckled and nudged Arty's gaze up to his own. "Uh huh, anythin else?"

"Jus...what we did our first time. Jus some things that stuck out to me. What you said. We we said." He groaned as Hound began to laugh. "Hey! It's not funny! Stop laughing at me!"

"M' not laughing at you, scraplet." Hound snorted, "I'm jus surprised you found it important enough to jot down."

"Of course it's important. You're important." He mumbled.

"Let me tell you then; if you ever want a refresher and yah don't gotcha journal handy, jus ask me. I'd be happy t' give you a first hand refresher." Hound waggled his optic ridges much to Arthur's exasperation.

"You're awful, y'know that?" Arthur grinned, teasing the weapons mech.

"Ye' love me anyway."

"More than anything…" Arthus agreed and began tracing patterns in the dust of Hound's armor, stopping in his tracks when he remembered Hound's finish…

"Aw, shit...Hound I-."

"Don'tcha stop that. Felt good."

"Your finish-."

"Frag the finish. Don't need it anyhow." Hound mumbled and lifted a large hand to provide some shade to what mild sunlight managed to peek out through the scattered early morning clouds.

Leaning into the provided shade, Arthur allowed a breathy murmur past his lips, fiddling with the plating on Hound's chassis and exploring all the seams within reach.

"Hound…?"

"Mm?"

"What're we gonna do about that new ban?" Arthur asked, worry setting in with the calm.

"Ignore it." Hound huffed.

"Ignore it? But-." Arthur tried to protest, only to be stopped as Hound flicked his optics back on with a heavy sigh.

"Them higher ups can do whatever they want for now. Words don' mean a lot if you can't get people to listen." Hound mused aloud. "But if they try takin' ye' away from me, I'll act. And they won't like the fat ballerina when he's in the mood to take some scalps."

Arthur couldn't stop the snort that bubbled up in him. The sound managed to produce a small smile from Hound. "So don't ye' go worrying yourself."

"Alright. Thanks, Hound." Arthur sighed and laid across the mech's chassis, "Cause' I'd fight jus' as hard for you, okay?"

"M' glad to hear it."

With that, Arthur picked up the pen and his journal again.

 _On second thought, I'm not that worried. My mechfriend seems like he's pretty much got things covered with the new ban. So if he's not worried, then I won't either…_

Arthur took another glance at Hound, who was recharging soundly, and then up at the farm again. Arthur shook his head.

 _I still haven't asked him how he managed to convince the higher ups to allow him to raise earth animals. He's going to have a farm soon the way he's been talking about it. Though, I guess if I didn't grow up helping on the family farm I wouldn't have met Hound and his farm…funny how the world works..._

 _Arty_

* * *

 **Credit to Yoru Hana1 for their story, Stages in Snapshots, for the Fluffsheep idea. If you want a great story to read, go read that one. Seriously it's absolutely wonderful. The last chapter is a particular marvel of brilliance...**


	3. Chapter 3

_Journal, Day 29_

 _It's been two days since they put this new ban into action. I'm only slightly surprised it's still in effect._

 _It's only a matter of time before they realize how stupid they are. Honestly, I've never seen a closer couple than Hound and Arty._

 _Prowl and Morgan however...damn, I hope they're doin okay. With Prowl being so anal about the rules and whatnot, what's he gonna do about the new ban?_

 _I'm just waiting out the storm now. What else can I do?_

 _Bethany_

* * *

The blonde sighed and promptly dropped her pencil on the desktop. Couldn't her superiors see how stupid this was? Apparently not.

Bethany shook her head and folded her journal back up. There was no use in whining. Not yet at least. She'd told them her thoughts and yet the higher ups were still being thick about it.

She could only hope for a dampen on the ban. But that required the overall staff to ignore the new code.

And it wasn't like interspecies romance applied to a lot of NEST operatives.

The woman stepped outside of her barrack, intent on going to the labs to bother Peede for a while only to find a fully transformed peterbilt outside her door.

She heaved a deep sigh through her nose and folded her arms. "So, to what do I owe this pleasure." She called out to the large mech, wildly unimpressed with him at the moment.

Optimus didn't answer right away, but instead knelt down to offer a servo for her to step onto. She could feel her posture lose a little of its hostility. It was hard to stay mad at the boss mech. He tried his best and yet…

"Do I even have to guess why you're here?" Bethany asked.

Optimus let out a slow ex-vent. "You're still pessimistic about the new code." He noted.

He certainly didn't sound surprised.

Beth scoffed. "No shit. And just so you're aware, it's been upped from a code to a flat out ban by the soldiers."

Optimus gave her a warning look. "I didn't come here to argue."

"I'm aware." Bethany shifted as the mech began to walk. "Look, I know you mean well, but this is wrong."

"Humans and Cybertronians should not engage in relationships." Optimus stood his ground. "With cultural differences-."

"I'm gonna stop you right there." Bethany snapped. "Puh-lease, "cultural differences" my left freckled ass cheek. I dare say some Earth cultures take marriage even more seriously than your race does."

"Ms. Grey-."

"Y'know, most people call me Big Banny or Benny-."

" _Ms. Grey_." Optimus repeated a bit more forcefully, "That is enough."

Bethany shook her head as the Autobot Leader ex-vented deeply. "Whatever. So, why are you here then?"

"I felt that you should be aware of our decision regarding the other couples on base." Optimus answered.

"What was there to decide? Just leave them alone."

"Ms. Grey-."

"Enough, Prime." Bethany scowled, "I'm sick of the excuses. I told you, Arty and Hound are like a match made in Heaven. The only ones that might be suffering are Prowl and Morgan."

Bethany certainly didn't miss the stricken look on the leader's face. Prowl was his third in command and a brilliant tactician. Having him under more stress than usual could prove disastrous.

"Would you care to elaborate?"

"Prowl's a stickler for rules. Sure, he loves Morgan. She's great for him. She gets him out of his shell from time to time and their workaholic attitudes actually tend to help their relationship. But I know that Morgan would just want to ignore this new ban. But I don't know if Prowl would." Bethany bit her lip.

"And you believe they are a good match?" Optimus raised an optic ridge.

Bethany smirked, "Don't believe me, Autoboss? Watch them sometime. See if they don't change your mind." She challenged.

For a while Optimus was silent, regarding the loud woman in his hands with careful wariness.

"Alright then."

* * *

 _Journal 29...again?_

 _11:58 PM_

 _Two of these things in one day? I must be losing my mind. So the Autoboss came to visit today._

 _I've somehow convinced him to spy on Prowl and Morgan the next time they're together out in the open. Now the waiting game begins. Which reminds me, I never gave him a chance to tell me the consensus on the couples that pre-date the ban. Shit._

 _Oh well, rumor mills exist for a reason, don't they?_

 _Sleepily yours,_

 _Bethany_


	4. Chapter 4

_Entry, 18_

 _I haven't been "home" since the ban has been put into place. And I had to find out through Prowl! It's so very embarrassing...I just hope this doesn't change anything between the two of us. It's already been three days._

 _Nonetheless I am happy to be returning to our main HQ. After a full week of heels, pencil skirts, blouses, and old men and women, I'm ready for a bed...or a certain police car to pick me up and take me the rest of the drive to NEST._

 _I miss him so much. He had best remembered to refuel and recharge or so help me_

… _though I suppose at times I am no better._

 _I wonder though. What brought that ban about anyhow? Prowl didn't have much to say about it when I asked. It's worrisome, that's for sure._

 _Dearly yours,_

 _MC_

* * *

The brunette closed the diary just in time to look up and see an achingly familiar cop car pull up in front of her. Flashing a brilliant smile of relief, the woman gathered her effects and padded towards the vehicle.

The door automatically swung open for her, the inside was completely empty.

From the radio, however, a low voice came. "Just set your stuff in the passenger seat."

"No trunk today?" Morgan teased, complying with his wish and tugging at the handle.

"I would prefer you sit in the driver's seat on the way back to HQ." Prowl admitted, "We have things to discuss, and...I have been rather…"

"You got lonely too?" Morgan guessed, chuckling as the police car sank onto his shocks, "That's good. Because I definitely missed you."

The woman was quick to circle the car once everything was packed away and joyfully sank into the driver's seat, cooing as the mech snaked the seatbelt across her body and blasted her with cool air. The AC felt heavenly on her warmed skin. She didn't want to move.

"As always…" She sighed, "You are wonderfully efficient."

"Thank you. How was your trip?" Prowl asked as he pulled out of the lot and into the mild traffic.

"Exhausting. I'll be all too glad to jump into some pants rather than another pencil skirt." Morgan admitted with a small groan, "And a week of nothing but diplomacy, old man ego, and a significant amount of personal agenda issues have been absolute murder on my mental health."

"Would you like some music? Our other conversation can wait." Prowl offered, feeling a bit more reluctant to debate such a serious matter with his lady right after she'd finished dealing with her work week.

"Oh, if you don't mind. I'm curious, true, but I don't think I can take many more heavy issues just yet." Morgan murmured, feeling her eyes droop just then.

"Then relax; given how my alt mode affects the speed of the other drivers we shouldn't arrive for another hour." Prowl reasoned and fiddled with the environment of his cab, allowing a small rise in ego as Morgan began to further relax into his seat.

"Alright, you've convinced me. Wake me in...half an hour? Would you please?"

"If that's what you'd like."

"I would. As much as I desire a power nap, I've missed you too much not to want you all to myself for a while." She winked and promptly allowed herself to doze off as light musical white noise played from Prowl's radio.

Prowl kept a few sensors on the woman and set a timer. Morgan meant more to him than she knew. Once Prowl had arrived on Earth and learned of Jazz's fate, it was all systems down.

It wasn't until Prowl had heard the news from Optimus Prime himself did the tactician realize just how large a part Jazz had played in his life. He was left with a bitter hole that Morgan was slowly starting to mend as she made her own place in his spark. Morgan could never fill the hole that Jazz left. No one could.

Jazz was a mech unlike anyone else.

And yet, a bond had formed. They were both terrible workaholics. But their strengths and weaknesses complemented one another. Morgan was much more aware of the dangers of improper self care -eating, sleeping, and whatnot- whereas Prowl was a strict keeper of information and deadlines.

If something was shifted he was the first to know and have reasonable adjustments at the ready. It had become something of a blessing for them both.

Prowl drove in silence, noting how peaceful she was when she slept in his cab. He reclined the seat a bit, hoping to make her a bit more comfortable. He already had the windows of his cab fixed to display his cab as if a policeman was dutifully driving inside. So whatever happened within him, was unknown to the outside world.

Thirty minutes came and went, and his internal alarm alerted him just as it should. Prowl deactivated it with a thoughtful him and repositioned the seat once more.

"Morgan. Morgan, wake up." He called out to her and slightly jostled the seat, inwardly chuckling as she awoke with a dazed expression.

"Prowl? Mm," she yawned and rubbed her eyes, "Hey...half an hour already?"

"Indeed."

"Alright then." She stretched and removed her heels, placing them atop her suitcase. "Now, what did you want to talk about?"

Prowl was silent for a little while, pushing Morgan to lay a hand on the dash and grant him a gentle pat. "Hey, you can talk to me about it, y'know? Whatever it is."

"The new ban. What do you know of it?" Prowl asked, his voice almost monotonous.

Morgan shifted uncomfortably, "I know it's meant to ban future relationships between Cybertronians and humans." Morgan murmured. "But I don't know why it was made, or what that means for us."

"Anne was caught being unfaithful to Wheeljack by the mech's unrequited lover, Perceptor. Perceptor murdered Anne in a fit of rage and Wheeljack attacked Perceptor while oblivious to his reasons." Prowl informed her, noting how her eyes widened with shock.

"My god…" Morgan sat back, her mind simply reeling. "And now everyone is banned. But...what about us?"

"Our superiors have decided to conduct an observational tactic to decided whether or not the few of us with pre-existing relationships are safe."

"Whoa, whoa...hold on a tic! So someone is going to stalk us and then they get to decide whether or not we have to break up?!" Morgan gaped.

"...essentially."

"That's bullshit. Relationships can be so strange to people on the outside looking in! This isn't fair!"

"But it's still protocol."

"Screw it. We are a good match! I can feel that much." Morgan scowled. "And some stranger isn't going to give a "yay-or-nay" verdict on our relationship! Protocol be damned!"

"Morgan-."

"Prowl. We love each other. Why can't that be enough?"

"I don't know. Speaking from a personal perspective, I don't want to split from you either. I don't think I could." Prowl admitted quietly.

"Well then, we agree on that much." Morgan scowled.

"When we get back to base, would you consider-."

"Yes."

"I didn't-."

"Will I stay with you tonight? Of course." Morgan winked, "I've got no reason not to."

"I can think of a few." Prowl jested right back.

Morgan smirked. "Nah. I'm quite sure those little facts about Praxian doorwings you chose to share over the video-chat have far more of my interest than anything else."

As if to punctuate her implication, the woman gently glided her filed fingernails across the mech's armrest.

Prowl felt his engine sputter in shock and embarrassment. "O-oh, my…"


	5. Chapter 5

_Journal 31_

 _It's been four days since the ban started and yet Prowl and Morgan seem pretty content with themselves. They finally got a chance to settle in yesterday and Morgan's taking some much needed time to herself today and tomorrow. Good for her._

 _Thus far, it seems everyone that the ban applies to is doing a solid job of ignoring it. Which is absolutely splendid. Maybe the higher ups will repeal the damn ban...or at least stop hounding after the two couples we've got._

 _Speaking of which, I finally found out what they decided to do with the two -healthy- relationships that pre-exist the code. Ooohhh...I was fucking_ _ **pissed**_ _. And you can bet your binding that I gave my superiors an earful about it._

 _It's basically my second job at this point._

* * *

 **(Yesterday Evening - 6:14 PM)**

"This group just keeps on findin' ways to impress me." Bethany scowled and folded her arms, "And it's not a good thing."

Charlotte was glowering at the soldier. "You always have something to say, don't you?"

"Yeah. And whose fault is that?" She raised a brow. "So...what? NEST is going to appoint professional stalkers now? Is that it? Install special cameras that violate a _slew_ of personal privacy codes?"

Optimus offlined his optics and allowed a moment to smooth his plating. "Ms. Grey-."

"And _you_. I know this decision was made before I made a similar suggestion, but you can't seriously think this is okay?"

"And what about it isn't okay?" One of her higher ups, Ivan Hemburg if she remembered correctly, snapped. "We are doing our best to take safety precautions-."

"Safety precautions? This is an invasion of privacy. Shadowing someone without their knowledge is...well, it's questionable depending on your reasons. But shadowing someone for up to two months without their knowledge for something so simple as a relationship is bullshit! It's creepy. It's disgusting. It's an invasion. of. privacy." Bethany snapped.

"So what do you suggest?" Ivan frowned, barely keeping his anger in check. A vein rhythmically pulsed on his bald forehead.

Bethany raised a brow. "If it were up to me, I'd say leave them alone. But I doubt that'll fly with you lot."

Charlotte clenched her fist as a headache began to form. "And it wouldn't."

"Thought so. So I'd suggest asking around. I'm not the only one who was aware of their relationship. Some of our other officers, soldiers, and other bots knew about and have seen them together. So ask them. It's not that hard." Bethany placed a hand on her hip. "If anything, just watch them for a few days, a week at most. Two whole months is unnecessary."

Optimus raised an optic ridge. "Yet you didn't mention their awareness."

"I don't think we should tell them they're being watched. The vast majority of people become stressed and easily muddled when they're knowingly under surveillance. Especially for so long. No one needs to be paranoid about this." Bethany relented with a sigh.

Optimus was silent, as was the rest of the room. Charlotte finally broke the ice and stood up. "We'll discuss this at a later date. I believe we have some compromises to consider until then."

* * *

 _And that was it. Everyone pretty much dismissed themselves. I was surprised that Magnus didn't speak up. He's clearly somewhat of a xenophobe...at least in the romantic sense. And that's totally fine. Not all Autobots are going to take to humans the same way…_

 _Nonetheless, I suppose I can't complain. At least that decision is no longer the final one. I didn't even have to break out my handy dandy profanity bag...much._

 _On a lighter note, I got to see Sideswipe yesterday. Ever since Sunstreaker made contact with Earth Sides' has been more a pain in the ass than ever and it's wonderful. Unfortunately he had weapons checks and medical exams to get to so we didn't get to talk much. Maybe I'll try and track him down tomorrow. I don't know about Sunshine though._

 _He's an asshole. But not like Sideswipe. Both of them are complete afts, but in different ways. Sideswipe said his brother wasn't likely to warm up to humans quickly or to any signifigant length. I'm going to just assume he's trying to say his brother's always going to be an ass, it'll just lessen with enough time...probably._

 _Ehh...fuck it. I don't care enough right now. So long as Sunstreaker tolerates it when I invade their room to hang around his brother I'll do my best to be civil._

 _Bethany Grey_

* * *

Bethany snapped the journal shut and bound it with the matching elastic band. The man in the bed beside her, a guy named Peede from the gearhead side of NEST, rolled over muttering another load of nonsense while he slept.

The woman just snorted and tossed her pen and journal on the dingy hunk of metal -equipped with a drawer- beside her that served as a nightstand. Normally men and women in NEST didn't share barracks. But her regular roommate, Jenny, was 'seeing' Peede's roommate, Keith. It wasn't uncommon for the pair to switch rooms for the night.

Bethany shrugged and turned off the small square table lamp, submerging the room in darkness. At least Peede liked to sleep in the cold like she did. Maybe she'd actually get some shuteye tonight with the lack of complaints or mutterings from the peanut gallery about temperature.

"Grey."

Or not. Bethany let an inaudible string of profanity into the pillow and sighed. "I thought you were asleep, Peede."

"I was, asshole. Your journal woke me up?"

"What? The pen scritches too much for you Princess Pea?"

"You slammed it on the nightstand, wiseass."

"...oh, right. Sorry."

"It's whatever, man. But are you really all for the whole interspecies thing?"

"Kinda...I just don't think it's...I dunno. Morgan, Prowl, Arty, and Hound shouldn't have to break apart because some slut decided to be an idiot." Bethany grumbled.

"So you and Sideswipe-."

Bethany cut him off with a harsh laugh. "Uh, _no_."

"But-."

"Goodnight, Peede."


	6. Chapter 6

**This...isn't my best work. It's pretty choppy for a chapter between Hound and Arty. But I'm sucking it up and posting what I have because _this_ particular chapter has just been haunting me.**

* * *

Arthur had to admit, Hound's suspension system was unbelievable. Hound had managed to drive over the uneven back roads covered in roots and sticks with barely any jostling.

It should have been an uncomfortably bumpy ride and it simply wasn't.

Hound had remained in vehicle mode, merely settling in his shocks to rest. Arthur found himself sprawled out across the front seats of the armored hummer when the mechs speakers suddenly crackled to life.

"Is that letter still bothering you?" Hound asked, his voice strangely soft and distant.

Arthur shifted to sit upright and deeply sighed, "Yeah, I guess it is."

"It'll only be for a little while, Arty. Then we shouldn't have to worry about this damned ban anymore." Hound murmured, though he sounded unconvinced.

Arthur just shook his head. "We ain't bad people. So this just doesn't make much sense t'me."

"Hmm?"

"Well, that woman who died...that's not how everyone is Hound. I'd like to think people see me in a different light than the one she was in."

"I don't understand," Hound rumbled, "But at the same time, I do understand your concern. Share it too."

Arthur felt a warmth grow in his chest. "That's nice to know. I'd hate to lose you too Hound."

The mech rumbled, pleased with the calming day. "It shouldn't be too much longer. We should be gettin' a call-."

Hound cut off abruptly before letting out a grumble. "Ah, nevermind that. We gotta go now, actually."

Arthur heaved a sigh, "I don't-." he groaned and sat up completely, muttering his thanks as Hound slipped the safety belt across his chest.

"It's only for two weeks, Arty." Hound murmured, doing his best to sound reassuring. "We'll get through it. The letter said there'd be a bot and two human officers giving our evaluation."

Arty let out a grunt and crossed his arms. "I dunno Hound. They'll just be standin' around, watchin' us. Won't that be, I dunno, strange for you."

"A'course it'll be weird. I don't prefer having my shoulder hovered over. I'ma big mech. I can make my own decisions. But if keeping you around requires a few long days on surveillance then so be it."

Arthur smiled, a small one, and relaxed into the mech's seats. "Alright, okay...let's get this over with quickly then. Strange as it may be."

"There y' go. Try to keep that positivity." Hound murmured, a strange tone to his voice.

"What do y' mean? Why'd y' say it like that?"

"Ya' ain't gonna like who's been assigned to us." Hound admitted. "It might be a long week n' a half for both of us."

Arthur raised a suspicious brow. "Who's been assigned to us, Hound?"

"Arty…"

"Hound."

The mech ex-vented heavily, blasting Arty with a cooled gust of air. "Our two human shadows are Spencer n' Hector."

Arthur could already feel his face twisting into a sour grimace. "Fuckin' hell, this just ain't fair…"

"Life ain't usually fair…" Hound muttered.

"Yeah, thanks." Arty snapped, "Cause' I really needed a reminder."

Hound didn't reply, and Arty didn't try to salvage any shred of the conversation. Neither wanted to think about the pit-spawned week that lied ahead of them.

* * *

 _Fired. Spencer and Hector ain good for anythin' else. Shouldn't be workin' with people or aliens. Just the pair of them, need to drop of th face of the earth._

 _I think they're brothers. They act similar enough. Both hate same sex relationships. Homophobic if I'm not mistaken. Hound says that his kind doesn't really have genders, and procreation like ours hasn't existed with them for so long…_

 _And yet..._

* * *

"Arty?"

Arthur jumped as Hound finally spoke up. They'd since reached the complex and had been sitting in silence in Hound's quarters. The mech had been giving him a look of concern for some time now.

"I'm...adjusting," Arthur sighed, "Those two...they could easily-."

'They're not goin' to." Hound grunted, "Optimus'd be much more likely to take my word over theirs. So if their reports are full of slag, I'll let 'im know."

A small weight seemed to lift itself from Arthur's chest. "You think it'll end well?"

"I have faith that it will."

"I'm trusting you then...I'll try to keep my head up."

"That's really all we can do, Arty." Hound murmured and offered the man a gentle smile.

The mech lifted Arty from the appropriately sized nightstand and onto the berth. "Now, try to get some sleep. You're exhausted."

"I feel fine," Arthur argued, closing his journal for the night and setting it in his lap.

"Yer' emotionally exhausted. Trust me, you'll appreciate the extra sleep." Hound insisted.

"Look, I don't-."

"Arty, please."

The man gave Hound a small skeptical stare but eventually relented.

"Alright, fine. You've convinced me." He muttered and lied back atop the mech's chest.

Hound chuckled, not even attempting to mask his amusement. "Good, sleep well, Arty."

"Same to you, mech. Have a good recharge." Arthur mumbled.

As Hound predicted, Arthur was out within the next ten minutes or so. Scanners were a blessing when it came to Arthur. The man, while Hound did love him, could be frustrating. He preferred only to share the grievances that didn't take too much of a mental toll on him. Other things like Spencer and Hector…

Hound could only imagine what was going through Prime's processor. He understood the situation was somewhat delicate, but this…

"Now I'm getting worked up over this." The mech muttered, dragging a servo down his faceplates.

When did he sign up for this level of processor-numbing slag? With a deep ex-vent, the mech smoothed his plating and pulled one of Arty's blankets from his subspace and carefully draped it over him.

' _Guess I'll just follow my own advice then.'_ Hound mused and drifted off into recharge as well.


	7. Chapter 7

A large echoing knock from the lower half of the door startled Optimus away from the datapad he'd been studying. One wide scan revealed his 'guest' to be none other than Ms. Grey. Steeling his faceplates, the large tri-colored mech keyed the door open.

"Did you need something, Bethany?" Optimus asked, expecting a loud and fully articulated tangent to soon follow.

"Spencer and Hector? Really?!" Bethany snapped, giving him a very cross glare.

"I am afraid I don't follow."

"Spencer and Hector are homophobes!" Bethany shouted, storming towards the Prime's desk.

With a heavy ex-vent, Optimus keyed the door to close and offered the approaching woman a quick servo lift to the top of his desk. Much to his silent curiosity, Bethany reacted with genuine surprise at the gesture.

"Look, I know...I just…" Bethany sighed, "Those two are an awful choice for Hound and Arty!"

"What do you suggest I do, Bethany?" Optimus scowled, his patience spent on the topic, "I am doing my best to offer a fair chance to all involved but there is...the red tape-."

To the Prime's surprise, Bethany laid a hand on his servo and squeezed. "I know, Prime. You've always done your best for your soldiers. And we appreciate that, make no mistake." The woman let out a nervous chuckle and took a step back, wringing her hands nervously, "I just...I apologize for being short. But I want this to be a fair fight for everyone involved."

"I understand, Ms. Grey."

"Bethany." The woman interrupted with a crooked smile, "You said it earlier. C'mon mech, just once on purpose." she pressed.

"Ms. Grey," Optimus repeated much to his guest's mild annoyance, "I will see what I can do. But I cannot make any promises right now."

"That's all I can ask of you."

"Is there anything else you came to inform me of?"

"Hmm, actually...yeah. There are a few things I could share now that I think about it." Bethany mused.

The mech managed to keep the surprise off his face. "Go ahead then, I am listening."

"Well, for starters, I know that Prowl and Morgan are, uh, very intimately active." Bethany ducked her face as a blush began to mar her cheeks, "So, when this evaluation starts, make sure to give them a head's up for everyone's sake."

Optimus actually seemed somewhat startled. "They interface?"

"Yeah."

"...but...how?"

"I don't know!" Bethany gawked at him, "It's not like I asked about the specifics!"

"My apologies," The mech muttered, filing that bit of vital information away for later. After taking a moment to vent and smooth his plating, the mech looked back to the woman, "Moving on...anything else?"

"Eh, most view Arthur and Hound as a gay couple. And yes, I'm aware that your species doesn't technically have genders, but just keep that in mind. Arty usually just recharges with Hound. Hound's got this little indention in his chest so Arty just sleeps there." Bethany giggled at the memory, "Those two are pretty close and like to go on...hikes? So whoever's trailing them will likely be on the move. A lot."

"Are those two, ah, active as well?"

"Now in that case, I don't know. They've been together for so long, however, and it genuinely wouldn't surprise me if they were."

"I see." Optimus nodded, "Hound has been one of my best soldiers for quite some time now. I trust that he knows what he's doing."

"Oh yeah, speaking of which, Morgan likes to bunk with Prowl in his quarters. She sleeps there way more than she does in her own space." Bethany smirked, "And given that both of them are workaholics, they spend a lot of time doing that together too. Prowl helps her adjust her work since her plans are constantly having to factor in some new accommodation at a moment's notice.

"I cannot say I find that surprising." The mech chuckled. "They both work a bit too much for their own good."

"Morgan's actually pretty good about keeping up with self-care for a workaholic," Bethany shrugged, "It's been good for Prowl, if you're asking me."

The Prime nodded, inwardly pleased.

"That's about it on my end, Autoboss." Bethany shuffled, casting her gaze elsewhere, "And for their sake, I hope the surveillance week passes quickly."

To that, the mech merely nodded. "Truly, this is all from you?"

"Yeah, why?" Bethany raised a brow in suspicion.

"I have heard some things as of late. Rumors of a relationship between you and my soldier, Sideswipe."

Bethany almost choked, "Oh, god damn it all to hell," the woman snapped, much to Optimus' surprise, "There is nothing, I repeat, _nothing_ going on between Sideswipe and I! We're friends! That's it! For fuck's sake, how many times am I going to have to spell it out?"

"Ms. Grey, I-."

"Look, _Optimus_ , the reason I'm around him so much, is because of how well we got along when NEST was previously active! Before his brother arrived on earth, Sideswipe was dealing with so much stress over reintegrating his other half, that he damn near suffered a _spark fracture._ And now his brother is causing a strain he's still getting over, and it's working both ways." Bethany folded her arms and glared, "In the past he's admitted that I've been somewhat...I dunno, therapeutic?"

"I was not aware of this." The mech murmured, worry marring his faceplates.

Bethany raised a brow, sensing something else was starting to trouble the mech. "This isn't just about my 'alleged relationship' anymore, is it?"

"I am afraid I cannot do much outside of confirming that. This is a more personal matter between the twins and I." Optimus murmured.

"I'll be keeping that in mind, Autoboss." Bethany replied with a quizzical look, "In any case, I've got places to be. Nice chatting with you, though."

"Likewise. Thank you for your input today."

"Don't mention it, Prime." Bethany grinned, accepting his offered servo ride to the floor.

With that, the woman gave a small wave goodbye and promptly padded out the open door. To her surprise, Sideswipe was waiting just outside the Prime's office.

"Hey, Siders'."

"Banny." Sideswipe grinned, "Talkin' to Optimus?"

"Yup. More dumbass decisions were made and someone needed to know about it. I doubted any of the human officers with actual influence would be willing to listen, much less give a damn about what I know, so...here I am."

"You really want to win this." Sideswipe murmured, shifting to offer a servo to the woman.

"Thought that was obvious," Bethany huffed and climbed aboard, "This is bullshit and it needs to be dealt with."

"And what about Anne?"

"Anne? Anne was a whore who made a bad decision, knowing the whole time it was bad. The consequences were reaped and, yeah, they were fatal." Bethany shook her head, "I can't force myself to have sympathy for her."

"That's pretty harsh coming from you. She was a human too."

"Maybe, though species doesn't seem to mean as much as everyone thinks. Besides, she kickstarted all this shit with the ban in the first place."

Sideswipe offered a small hum of thought at this. "What do you think'll happen now?"

"Who the hell knows at this point?" Bethany huffed. "My superiors just keep pulling all these decisions out their ass-ends and it's starting to give me a headache. At this point I'm just going to try and be ready for everything."

"Everything, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Good luck with that."

"Oh, screw off."

"I'd love to, but I need a partner for KDC."

"Oh, who we playin'?"

"Crosshairs and Fassbinder."

"Sweet. I'll spare an hour or two."

"I was hoping you'd say that."

* * *

 **Okay, KDC is Kirby Dream Course.**

 **To my reviewer on Optimus x Bethany. I actually didn't even consider it. Though it is an interesting concept. I usually null all things with Elita One anyway.**

 **For the bit about Hound and Arty, I defer to Chapter Two.**

 **Yes Prowl and Morgan interface. No, there will not be a scene dedicated to it. Well, nothing outside of a few doorwing taps at least.**

 **I do like to reference Take Two here, by the lovely** _ **padawanjinx**_ **. I've got some Fan Canon tied to that story specifically between the Twins, Optimus Prime, Prowl, and alcohol.**


	8. Chapter 8

"Afternoon, Prowl." Morgan yawned as she wandered into the mech's personal quarters.

The Cybertronian housing had nifty little features that could be optionally installed. The door was actually keyed to open if she was near. Granted, Prowl could change this on a whim if he wanted to be alone.

Usually, Morgan just pinged him to let him know she was headed his way.

The tactician, however, was in one of his rare good moods and allowed a small smile to flicker across his faceplates for a moment.

"Good afternoon, Morgan." He rumbled and stooped down to scoop the woman off the floor, "How was your day?"

"Long...very tiring." Morgan murmured, readily boarding the offered servo and stretching out her arms, "My whole body hurts."

"All of it?" the enforcer repeated, concern lacing his tone as he ambled back to his work table.

"Mm...probably." she shrugged and stepped onto the desk, "Mind if I change?" she asked, holding up a small duffle bag.

"Sure, go ahead."

"...uh, Prowl? I-If...you wouldn't mind…?"

The mech ex-vented, his fans kicking on to match his heated embarrassment. In the back of his processor he berated himself for forgetting. "Right, my apologies."

"No need. Neither of us are used to this." Morgan chuckled softly, offering a sheepish smile as the mech moved to block her body from whomever was behind the room's temporary surveillance camera.

Prowl briefly wondered if even someone like Red Alert would consider this too far. Though the idea was dismissed before given too much thought.

"That thing is so...so…"

"I know, Morgan. I'd deactivate it if I could." Prowl grumbled, shifting his large body to hide her entirely. "One would think the humans would put a little more faith in an Autobot _officer_."

Morgan smiled and quickly slipped out of her heels and skirt, pulling on a pair of clean sweatpants. A brief glance up at the mech sent Morgan into a fit of giggles.

"What's funny?" Prowl murmured, bemusedly raising an optic ridge.

"You," Morgan laughed, "You don't have to look away. You've seen all of this before."

"I figured you want some semblance of privacy." Prowl admitted, "Given how little we'll have of it over the next few days."

The woman offered him a sad smile. "It'll be...strange. But I don't mind if _you_ stare. It's...flattering in a way. But, the thought is much appreciated. Thank you."

Prowl knelt beside the desk, putting his face level with Morgan's. "Anytime, softspark."

Grinning, the woman stepped forward and planted a chaste kiss on the mech's olfactory sensor, causing his door wings to hitch of surprise much to her amusement.

"Good gracious, mech. You can be so...sweet, y'know?" Morgan cooed, earning a low grumble from the mech.

"Hush." Prowl murmured, "Don't you have work to catch up on?"

"Not yet, c'mere." Morgan motioned to Prowl until he relented and moved a bit closer.

"What?"

"Kisses?" She pleaded softly, so close and low only he would have heard.

Prowl's door wings, ever his most expressive feature, gave a sharp twitch as his fans filled the space with a soft whirring noise. With a deep rumble, Prowl leaned forward and carefully pressed his lip plates to her cheek, eliciting a round of giggles.

"It's so strange when you think about it." Morgan murmured and pressed another kiss to his lips, "The metal you guys are made from is so warm and malleable. Smoother and softer than us sometimes."

Prowl smiled gently and shared one last kiss. The two separated shortly after, leaving Morgan to begin her own work as Prowl sifted through an amassment of his own datapads. Removing her laptop from its protective bag, in addition to multiple notebooks, Morgan set about corresponding data, making charts and schedules.

It took almost an hour to get halfway through the mess of information, much to the woman's chagrin. Yet before long the woman felt a pleasantly warm pressure begin moving up and down her back. Morgan felt herself go lax under the gentle ministrations, murmuring her approval.

"Sitting like that for so long isn't doing your spine any favors, sweetspark." Prowl muttered, gently scratching along Morgan's shoulder blades.

"I can assure you, love, I'm well aware of the monster known as back pains." The woman replied lowly, letting out a soft breathy murmur as Prowl managed to rub away a stubborn knot, leaving a wash of relief in its place.

"Invest in a bean bag if you have to," Prowl chuckled, looking on fondly as the woman melted against him, "I don't mind keeping one in here for you."

Morgan giggled, "I might just take you up on that."

The two fell back into a working silence soon after, Morgan pressing a kiss to the mech's finger before he'd pulled it away. Roughly an hour passed between the two with hardly a sentence to spare.

"Did you remember to refuel?" Morgan asked as six o'clock rolled around.

Prowl's doorwings gave a little hitch as his vents released an obvious shudder, "I...did not refuel."

"Mech, I swear," Morgan chided gently and set her laptop aside, "Well c'mon, let's go."

"You don't have to come along if you don't want to. I'm only grabbing a cube." Prowl replied, raising an optic ridge.

"I know, but I don't want to be alone in here with that damn camera," The woman muttered, nearing edge of the desk and hopping onto the mech's offered servo.

"Understandable."

"I'd like to think so too."

Prowl wasted no time lifting the woman onto his shoulder guard, making sure she was safe and comfortable before leaving his barracks and making his way to the commi room. Much to their annoyance, a man began to follow them. Observing them from a distance,

"God...this is just…ugh," Morgan groaned, burying her face in her arms.

Prowl shifted his doorwings a little higher, hiding her from sight and he silently gestured for her to move closer to his helm.

"I know Morgan, I know." He whispered.

The pair were quiet for the rest of the walk, relieved when their observer finally averted his gaze for awhile.

"Prowl…?"

"Yes, Morgan?"

"We...we need to bring this up to someone."

"I believe that may be merited at this point. This is quite ridiculous."

"As soon as possible, please?"

"Agreed."


	9. Chapter 9

_Hound's worried. I can tell. How? He's picking me up...constantly. And y'know what? I_ _ **don't**_ _mind. The more distance he can put between us and the observant, the better._

 _Jeeze, compared to their replacement, Spencer and Hector seem like a breeze. I think...I try to forget them._

* * *

"Oh! So you keep a diary!"

Arthur steeled himself, fighting the overwhelming urge to scowl and snap the leather journal shut.

"Journal," Arty corrected the boisterous woman, "And it's just the...important stuff."

"Fascinating."

"Sure, whatever."

"May I skim it?" The observant pressed, flashing him a pleading smile with plum-colored lips. "I happen to find your relationship to be-."

"No!" Arthur snapped, his cheeks and ears flushing a shade darker than before.

Arty clutched the little journal tight under one arm and stormed off in search of Hound. Undeterred, the woman followed along as well. Her blonde curls bouncing about her shoulders.

"Hn...my apologies, Arty-."

"Arthur."

"Right, Arthur, sorry," she chirped with a dismissive flick of her hand, "I can't help it, I'm just so excited."

"Oh, really?" Arthur muttered.

"Of course! A human and a Cybertronian pursuing a romantic relationship?! How scandalous!"

Arthur raised a brow, feeling sick to his stomach. "I wouldn't quite call it a scandal."

"Well, I would! Two different species, yet you identify as the same gender." She giggled to herself, "Oh my, it's _quite_ the deviation from your standard relationship."

Arthur grit his teeth so hard they ached. He wanted to break the woman's nose, yet couldn't do so without risking a forced breakup with Hound. The man, instead hastened his pace towards the 'ranch' and did his best to drown out the woman's prattling.

As per usual, he found Hound beside the fence watching the sheep graze. His optics looked...distant.

"Hound!" Arty called, jogging over to the mech who picked him up without a word, "Hey, mech."

"Hmm."

Arthur felt his tension melt a little, giving the mech's neck cables an affectionate squeeze. The man chuckled when he caught the corner of his mouth-plates flick with amusement. Without much further thought, the man continued to rub at the mech's neck cables and wiring, giving him a amatuer-massage. Hound sagged in relief, taking a moment to merely feel Arthur's fingers kneading his large wires. It was almost strange to trust someone so much, to let them near such sensitive and vital wiring. But at the same time, it felt almost...natural.

Eventually the man stopped his ministrations and rubbed at the sore muscles in his hands. With a yawn, the man leaned close to Hound's audials.

"Thank you, Arty." Hound murmured, keeping his voice low.

"Yeah, no problem big mech."

"...yer tense."

"What? You actually think I can relax like this?" Arthur huffed, a small frown on his features.

"True." Hound ex-vented heavily, blowing Arthur's hair askew. "Couldn't mind her own fragging business if she tried."

"Yeah, I noticed."

The pair faded to silence, hyper-aware of the woman close by who eyed them with a hint of disdain. Minutes passed, and the observant actually groaned in annoyance, giving the pair a dark glare.

"Y'know, you two could just...do something." She urged, "Just pretend I'm not here. It's not so hard."

"Hound shot the woman a withering glare, "Y'know, fer a woman who's only supposed to observe, you've been _very_ invasive."

The woman scoffed, "I can't send in a report if there's nothing to write about. All you two do is attempt to avoid me! Or whisper to each other when I am around. You've given me nothing to work with. I mean, honestly, what _I_ write dictates the future of _your_ relationship. So put a little effort forth, yeah?"

Arthur might have yelled at the woman, but found himself lack for words when Hound aggressively transformed down, deposited Arty in his cab, and angrily sped off fast enough to leave a trail of dirt in his wake.

"Hound!" Arthur snapped, "What the actual _hell was that_!"

"Arthur, I can't put up with this slag anymore."

"You don't mean…?" Arthur felt his heart clench and his skin run hot for a moment. Hound was quick on the next turn, his radio sputtering back so fast static laced his words.

"No! No, Arty! Fraggit, all the way to pit. No, I meant the observants. The rules." Hound spat, "This is slag. Utter slag."

"She acted like she wanted a show...like we were some kind of fetish." Arthur muttered.

"Exactly, and somebot needs to be aware of it."

"Finally," Arthur trailed off, taking a minute before suddenly smacking the mech's dash.

"Hey! What the frag?!" Hound yelped, "What was that fer?"

"Good fucking christ, mech. Don't scare me like that." Arthur sighed and slumped in the seat with shaky breathing. "I thought I was going to lose you for a second. Not many people would put up with this."

Hound chuckled gently, the metalogel of his seats shifting a little. "You ain't ridding of me that easily."

"Whoever said I wanted to?" Arthur chuckled, pressing a kiss to the spot where he'd smacked Hound's dash.

Arthur could feel Hound's seats beginning to shift. "No one."

"Love you Arty."

"Yeah, love you too, big mech."


End file.
